WWE’s Hall of Fame ceremony is next week, and some past inductees regard this event to be the pinnacle of their career due to WWE paying tribute to their legacy. However, others consider it’s nothing more than a payday, with Paul Orndorff, who was inducted in 2005, being an example of this having left his plaque in his hotel room. Another name that holds the same opinion is ECW legend Sabu who in a recent interview called the WWE’s Hall of Fame “the fakest Hall of Fame there is.” Based on these comments, it seems unlikely WWE will be reaching out to Sabu anytime soon to join his longtime friend RVD who was just officially announced as part of the Class of 2021. This is disappointing as Sabu is worthly due to being a significant part of the rise of ECW, the promotion that inspired WWE to introduce the attitude era. It would also later make the man who decides who goes in, Vince McMahon, a lot of money once he took ownership of the tape library. For Sabu, it looks like he will have to make do with his Hardcore Hall of Fame induction, which is associated with the famed 2300 Arena. He was inducted back in 2009 by The Sandman at a Legends of the Arena event in front of 700 fans on an emotional night. In doing so, he followed the likes Terry Funk, Rocco Rock, and Johnny Grunge, who were previously honored for putting the venue on the map.

The WWE is holding their Hall of Fame ceremony that will air on Peacock in the US and the WWE Network worldwide on April 6. With last year’s event being canceled, both the Class of 2020 and 2021 will be inducted simultaneously, and WWE is currently announcing names. Previously Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, Kane, and The Great Khali had been announced with Rob Van Dam heavily rumored. However, the former ECW original’s inclusion is no longer just a rumor as WWE has officially announced RVD as part of the Class of 2021. The timing makes sense as he has been a free agent since the end of last year, having departed Impact Wrestling, and WWE is working on a documentary for him as part of their WWE Icons series

Since leaving WWE in 2014, RVD has competed in around 65 matches. The majority have been for Impact Wrestling, which he claims paid him better than WWE did. Since the departure, he has also traveled the globe, competing on big independent shows in the UK, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Qatar for seemingly huge money. However, it’s doubtful he’ll make an in-ring return for WWE as he now suffers from visual impairment from a head injury that occurred on November 12, 2016, while wrestling on an indie show. That and the fact he has stated he has suffered hundreds of concussions over his career, it’s unlikely he’d get medically cleared.

WrestleMania was built on celebrity involvement with Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, and Pamela Anderson springing to mind when thinking about the event. This year Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is set to wrestle The Miz during night 1 of WrestleMania 37 to ensure some mainstream attention, and hopefully more Peacock subscribers. Now, Dave Meltzer has reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is doubling down, and Logan Paul is scheduled to be involved in the Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn match on night 2. It isn’t known what his role will be with a special guest referee or accompanying one of the participants being the most likely possibilities.

Logan’s involvement with WWE was announced last Friday on SmackDown when Zayn revealed that Paul would be on next week’s episode during a KO Show segment. Paul will be there for what WWE calls a “Red Carpet Affair” to witness the trailer for Zayn’s storyline documentary and set up his WrestleMania appearance.

Paul is a YouTuber turned boxer with we 23 million subscribers on his official channel for those unaware. He is a controversial figure for various reasons, and after an amateur boxing match against a fellow YouTuber, KSI went professional. He’d face KSI again as a pro boxer but lost due to being penalized two points in the fourth round, costing him the fight. Since then, an exhibition bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and him has been announced, but the date is yet to be confirmed. While the contest is expected to do great on pay-per-view, boxing purists consider the matchup to be making a mockery of the sport.

Back in September 2020, WWE held their first-ever Gauntlet Eliminator Match for the opportunity to challenge Finn Bálor for the NXT championship. Kyle O’Reilly won the match after he defeated Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Kushida, Timothy Thatcher, and the rules are that two men start in the ring, and every four minutes, another wrestler enters, with eliminations being via pinfall or submission. Overall the match was highly praised and an excellent way for WWE to showcase NXT talent.

The second match of this type is scheduled to occur during the first-night NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. With the winner going on to ace Johnny Gargano on night two for the NXT North American Championship. With the match set to return, WWE has filed a trademark application for “Gauntlet Eliminator” under International Class 041: Entertainment services, namely, a show about professional wrestling. While this won’t stop other promotions from using gauntlet matches in the future, as the concept has existed for many years, with New Japan having them in the 80s, it will stop them from using this specific name.

Earlier today, Brian James’ wife posted on Facebook that her husband, best known to wrestling fans as Road Dogg, had been hospitalized following a possible heart attack. She’d also reveal that this occurred on Thursday, and he was undergoing tests. Considering the 51-year-old Road Dogg has underlying health conditions, and in 2012, his brother Brad Armstrong died aged 50 from a suspected heart attack, this was extremely worrying. She has since provided an update and stated that the WWE Hall of Famer will be undergoing a cardiac catheterization on Monday. For those unaware, this is where a tube is inserted into an artery or vein and threaded through blood vessels to the heart to provide doctors with information on how it is functioning.

The procedure is considered a relatively safe procedure, and hopefully, the results indicate James will be OK. WWE has acknowledged the situation and wished him their best wishes on the official NXT Twitter account. This is the brand where he works as a producer, and he is considered an important creative influence on the show.

A decade ago, WWE held a press conference revealing they had signed Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde, a massive star in Mexico as Místico. With WWE under the name Sin Cara he was expected to become a worldwide star, but this obviously never transpired. One of the reasons for this was just over three months after debuting, he received a 30-day suspension for a wellness violation. While suspended, Jose Jorge Arriaga Rodriguez, who competed as Hunico, would wrestle under the mask in his place. He’d later take over the role of Sin Cara full-time once Urive left WWE in 2014, and his run as the character lasted until late 2019 when he was granted his release.

It was thought WWE was finished with the Sin Cara character. However, on October 21st, 2020, WWE filed two new trademarks for Sin Cara merchandise with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The exact reason for this is still not known, but it could be they are looking to bring the gimmick back as they already hold the trademark on the name as a wrestling performer until 2023. Alternatively, they could be attempting to make sure neither of the wrestlers who previously wrestled under the mask attempt to cash in themselves.

WWE has, though, encountered an obstacle getting their trademark application approved. The issue is they’ve been informed they need to obtain written consent from the former Hunico, who last performed as the character and now competes under the name Cinta de Oro in Mexico. If they don’t manage to get this, their trademark application will be abandoned. This is becoming a frequently occurring problem for WWE, and they currently have an outstanding trademark application for the name Dean Ambrose, which requires AEW’s Jon Moxley cooperation.

Former WWE star and current NXT producer Brian James, known best to wrestling fans as Road Dogg, appears to have suffered a heart attack. His wife Tracy confirmed this on her Facebook page earlier this morning and revealed it took place on Thursday after he returned from Orlando. From her update, which you can read below, it appears very serious with the 51-year-old Road Dogg having underlying health conditions. In 2012, his brother Brad Armstrong, known for his time wrestling for WCW in the 90s, died aged 50 from a suspected heart attack, so there is also a family history.

Road Dogg was a big star during WWE’s Attitude Era and, along with Billy Gunn, was a multiple-time tag team champion. In 2019 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of D-Generation X. Nowadays, he is considered a major creative influence for NXT and has a lot of writing experience, having been one of SmackDown’s lead writers in the past. Hopefully, he can make a full recovery, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this worrying time.

Recently Sami Zayn and YouTuber turned boxer Logan Paul have been tweeting each other regarding Zayn’s upcoming documentary that he is creating as part of a storyline on SmackDown. In kayfabe, Zayn feels there is a conspiracy against him, and Paul seems to agree. Now it’s been announced that Paul will appear next week on SmackDown to be part of what WWE is calling a “Red Carpet Affair” to witness the trailer’s premiere.

The announcement of Logan’s appearance came during an in-ring KO Show segment between Zayn and Kevin Owens. Owens would challenge Zayn to face him at WrestleMania, and Zayn reluctantly accepted, leading to a brawl between the longtime rivals.

For those unaware, Paul is best known as YouTuber who has amassed almost 23 million subscribers on his official channel. Despite his popularity, he has many critics due to multiple incidents, including shockingly filming the body of a man that had taken his own life in a Japanese forest.

In 2019, he declared he was going from amateur boxing to professional boxing for a rematch against fellow YouTuber KSI, who he had fought previously in a white-collar boxing match. He would lose the fight via a split decision. However, it was still announced in December 2020 that he would fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout that is yet to occur. Boxing purists consider this matchup to be making a mockery of the sport, but it is still expected to be huge on pay-per-view.

WWE Hall of Famer The Honky Tonk Man is one of pro wrestling’s most famous characters and is known for being the longest-reigning Intercontentical Champion at a time when the title was meaningful. Since the 80s his been known for his Elvis impersonator gimmick, which featured him having long sideburns and his jet black hair slicked back in his famous blue jumpsuit. However, he hasn’t stepped into the ring since November 2019 and has now changed up his look, as you can see below.

Fans seemed to dig the new look and then the fact The Honky Tonk Man is embracing the aging process. Although it isn’t known how he feels about some fans comparing him to the famous mountain man John “Grizzly” Adams and country music singer Kenny Rogers. Of course, with some Just For Men hair dye and a shave, he could quickly return to his previous cool, cocky, bad persona and immediately start making his autograph appearances again.

Lucha Underground aired on El Rey Network between 2014 and 2018 and was affiliated with Lucha Libre AAA. It featured a mix of established and up-and-coming talents, including Rey Mysterio, Brian Cage, Taya Valkyrie, John Morrison, Karrion Kross, Rey Fenix, Penta El Zero Miedo, Ricochet, Vampiro, Alberto Del Rio, Jake Hager, and Thunder Rosa. The early seasons were highly praised and considered a success; although expensive to produce with claims, the first season cost $16 million.

Sadly, fans were tuning out by the end of season four due to convoluted storylines, not enough wrestling, and the budget cut. While not officially canceled, the series went on hiatus, resulting in multiple wrestlers taking legal action to get out of their contracts. Some were reportedly earning as little as $4,000 a year due to not the promotion not following through with promises to tour.

Now, a report by Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter has stated that there have been discussions about reviving the promotion. However, it would have a different name. The requirement for a new name is likely due to Lucha Libre FMV LLC, a production company owned jointly by Lucha Libre AAA and FactoryMade Ventures owning the Lucha Underground trademark. While it will be sad to lose the Lucha Underground name in some ways, it is probably for the best to have a new name to separate it from the previous four seasons as many of the original crew have now moved on and work for WWE, AEW, and Impact Wrestling.

Meltzer doesn’t disclose who is having these discussions, but it is possible Major League Wrestling is involved in creating the spiritual successor. The is due to them recently introducing a group known as Azteca Underground to their television show, along with Ricky Banderas debuting under his Lucha Underground gimmick Mil Muertes.

Borderline is a no-holds-barred, open discussion between a top pro wrestler and a popular female stripper, testing the age-old notion that wrestlers and strippers go well together! Featuring “The Rebel” StarBuck, the most acclaimed and accomplished pro wrestler out of Northern Europe since the turn of the century, and international showgirl Irina Tundra, Borderline features a bevy of relevant subjects that get dissected and analyzed from both the conservative and liberal points of view in an interactive setting.

In Episode 6 of Borderline European wrestling champion “The Rebel” StarBuck and Irina Tundra look to break down Goals & Aspirations in the game of life and what leads to a fulfilling life experience for a person. Take part in the interactive discussion in the YouTube comments at https://youtu.be/PLN8K8UhNVA .

John Silver of The Dark Order wrestled Darby Allin for his TNT Championship on this week’s Dynamite. The pair put on an excellent match, and Allin retained and now looks set to work with Matt Hardy next. However, for Silver, things weren’t so certain coming out of the match due to him suffering a shoulder injury midmatch. This happened when he took a bump over the barricade and landed badly on his shoulder. You can watch this below.

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It was feared it could be a severe injury, and if so, Silver would have joined fellow Dark Order member Anna Jay on the sidelines for a considerable amount of time. Thankfully though, that won’t be the case as Silver has confirmed on Twitter he doesn’t require surgery and will only be out for 4-6 weeks. This means he’ll only miss a handful of tapings and should back in time for AEW’s next pay-per-view Double or Nothing at the end of May.